Pros And Cons

[soulboater#1]

what are the pros and cons of running a non-marine alternator in a boat. it will go on a ford 460. i did have a marine alt. before it took a dump! thanks for the advice!

[Taylorman]

If you have an open engine, i dont think a marine alt is necessary. I bought on from Summit which is powercoated for like $75.

[victorfb]

open or closed engine compartment, you need a marine alternator, and the rest. not so much for safety, but your insuranse wont pay a claim if they find you didnt have a marine carb, alternator, starter, distributor, ect, in the case of fire. on an open compartment it is very common to run automotive type components, but on a closed compartment it is a must for all USCG approved electrical devices.

[soulboater#1]

i do have a closed engine. it is a 78 omega miniday

[n8dawg]

just buy a marine one!
Both my starter and my alternator are NOT marine and I don't worry about it, open compartment. But to some people it matters a hole hell of alot!
So you should really be the one to decide. If it were me with a closed engine compatment.... I would have everything Marine, for all the fumes...just good safety practice.

[455Rocket]

Take your old one to a shop and have it rebuilt... prob. save money in the process AND still have Marine.

[SmokinLowriderSS]

i do have a closed engine. it is a 78 omega miniday
Pros:
It's cheaper.
It's easier to find a replacement on a weekend at the lake.
Cons:
It will ignite gasoline vapors if they are present in the right ammount in your bilge
The above BOOM! will likely burn your boat to the water line.
The above BOOM! could kill a passenger or 3 (back seaters).
The above BOOM! will put you in contact with LEO, which will write you a citation for non-approved equipment, and possibly others.
The above BOOM! will put you in contact with your boat insurance carrier (assuming it is insured), who will deny all coverage, due to the unaproved equipment.

[Cas]

I've purschased a couple of items from this guy, it's all real good stuff!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/MARINE-1-WIRE-DELCO-ALTERNATOR_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ31284QQihZ00 7QQitemZ170132012915QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW